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For six years, the Internet Nexus served as my technology blog, but I've since started
blogging at the SuperSite Blog instead. If you're looking for the blog, please head there. --Paul

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

The Stand

At lunch today, I finally finished rereading "The Stand," arguably Stephen King's greatest book. I started reading it right before we left France, so it's taken a while: Just about a month, actually. Given my schedule and the fact that the book's 1200 pages long, I guess that's not horrible. This is easily the fourth time I've read "The Stand," and the second, I think, since it was revised into its current "Complete & Uncut" version.

Why mention this? "The Stand" is one of the best books ever written, and I suspect that a lot of people don't understand that. Even if you're not a horror fan or a Stephen King fan per se, this is something you're going to want to experience. It's up there with "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Foundation Trilogy," in my mind at least, and I'd be surprised if it wasn't one day considered one of the best books of the late 20th century. What's interesting is I had the same experience this time around as I did the last time I read it (a decade ago?): I didn't want it to end. You know a book is doing something right when you're asking for more 1100 pages into it. (Note to Neal Stephenson: If you ever hit that point, you'll make the list too.)